AP NewsBreak: Wisconsin to phase out student tests -- chicagotribune.com

AP NewsBreak: Wisconsin to phase out student tests -- chicagotribune.com:

"MADISON, Wis. - A 17-year-old statewide test used to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind law will be replaced with a broader approach to judging how well Wisconsin students are performing, state superintendent Tony Evers said Thursday.

Education leaders heralded the move as a step toward more accountability. It may also help put Wisconsin in a better position to compete with other states for $4.35 billion in federal education stimulus money under the government's 'Race to the Top' reform program."

California to move young offenders out of largest, harshest youth prison - San Jose Mercury News

California to move young offenders out of largest, harshest youth prison - San Jose Mercury News:


"The woeful conditions inside the California youth prisons, and their questionable public safety value, were highlighted in a 2004 Mercury News series. The series included reports from Stark and the Preston Youth Correctional Facility in Ione, which will soon assume the dubious title of the state's most violent youth prison.

Warner insists state custody will always be needed for the most serious and violent offenders, who typically suffer from severe mental illnesses, childhood trauma and addictions — those deemed too difficult for counties to handle. But due to falling crime rates and far fewer state commitments, the youth prison population has plunged in recent years — from 5,500 in 2004 to the current 1,680.

Warner said closing Stark allowed him to cut costs systemwide that have shot up to a record-breaking $250,000 per ward, per year. In addition to the expense of overhauling mental health, education and treatment programs, until recently the system was bloated with more than 4,300 staff overseeing 2,000 offenders statewide."

In education reform, some states race from the bottom

In education reform, some states race from the bottom:

"“California will take whatever money it can get,” said Brian Edward, a policy analyst for EdSource, a California education watchdog.

California was one of five states ranked least likely to compete for the money, according to a report released this August by the New Teacher Project. The group, which supports initiatives to train teachers and measure their performance, also rated Nevada, Wisconsin, New York and Pennsylvania as ineligible because state laws and revised stimulus requests disqualify them from the federal competition.

To qualify, states must show reformed education laws fitting four federal priorities: standardized curriculum; building new student data systems; linking teacher performance to test scores, and raising the number of charter schools."

Truancy study urges more parent involvement | LahontanValleyNews.com

Truancy study urges more parent involvement LahontanValleyNews.com:

"“Studies have shown parent involvement is the strongest predictor in student success,” said Jessica Homer, truancy attendance care manager.

Homer said 32 percent of parents reported not attending parent teacher conferences, which is common with older students.

“At the high school level it is just as important, if not more important, as it is in elementary school,” Homer said.

Homer said 60 percent said they do not use PowerSchool, a Web site where parents track students' attendance, grades, disciplinary actions and more. It can be accessed from home or from Churchill County High School and Junior High School.

“Every parent has access to that from the Internet anywhere,” Homer said. “It is such a good tool. If parents can stay on top of those things, they can stay away from court.”"

BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News » SF Chronicle, LA Times Spread Phony Tax Hysteria

BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News » SF Chronicle, LA Times Spread Phony Tax Hysteria:

"Our state is in a fiscal crisis, Republicans refuse to let us pass a single tax increase whatsoever, we don’t tax oil companies for their profits, and the legislature just passed a budget that makes $15 billion in dreadful cuts to education and health care, and $11 billion in reckless borrowing. Yet, both papers are alarmed that – due to a technicality in state law – your taxes may go up another $40 this year. California’s income tax brackets get adjusted annually to account for the Consumer Price Index, and it means this year some incomes will fall into a higher tax bracket."

Sacramento Press / City Council studying proposal for independent budget analyst

Sacramento Press / City Council studying proposal for independent budget analyst:

"The independent budget analyst is separate from the strong mayor proposal because the budget analyst office would be developed through an ordinance, Fehr explained in a phone interview. The strong mayor format cannot be set up through an ordinance because the city’s governance structure is established in the city charter, he noted. The city charter must be changed in order for Sacramento’s mayor to gain new powers.

Fehr wrote that the independent budget analyst office could be paid for in two pieces: $370,000 would come from the city’s general fund, while $130,000 would come from special funds. The position could also lead to future savings for the city, according to Fehr."

Susan Goodkin and David G. Gold: In focus on proficiency, bright kids lose - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Susan Goodkin and David G. Gold: In focus on proficiency, bright kids lose - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"Many students scoring 'advanced' on grade-level material could progress much further with instruction geared to their needs. Instead, with teachers pressured by the No Child Left Behind Act to aim instruction at below-proficiency students, advanced learners are forced to sit through repetitive rote lessons on material they long ago mastered. Frustrated and bored, many bright students will act up, tune out and, as research shows, eventually even drop out in alarming numbers. Ignoring these students shortchanges them and California's future."

Letters to the editor - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Letters to the editor - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

Librarians help guide students

"As valuable as the Internet can be, it is also riddled with inaccurate and unreliable information. In addition to supplying valid print resources, a credentialed school librarian provides essential guidance in navigating the Web, instructing students in effective search strategies, Internet evaluation and research methodology. Without librarians, students will be left to wander cyberspace on their own."

Police Department hired for Natomas school security - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Police Department hired for Natomas school security - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Natomas Unified school board members voted Wednesday night to renew the district's contract with the Sacramento Police Department for security at its two high schools.

'Monday morning we will have resource officers back on high school campuses,' said Heidi Van Zant, district spokeswoman.
The district had started its school year earlier this month without security due to budget cuts."

Retiring Natomas superintendent had faced teacher no-confidence vote - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Retiring Natomas superintendent had faced teacher no-confidence vote - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"The Natomas Teachers Association had been planning to take a no-confidence vote next Thursday to express displeasure with district Superintendent Steve Farrar.
Teachers won't get the chance."

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment: "Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education Speaks Out

Our new superintendent, plus the County Superintendent Dave Gordon, and Elk Grove Superintendent Steve Ladd were all at this press conference which took place at a school that isn't part of SCUSD. I was shocked when SCUSD Superintendent Raymond said that he was excited to be part of Mayor Johnson's team. When you use the link you need to click on part three. That is the part that contains SCUSD Superintendent Raymond's statement.

If you think it is noteworthy, please forward to as many parents and teachers as you know."

Facebook | Seth Bramble The Executive Board of the Sacramento City Teacher's Association met today to set goals for the upcoming school year that will build our local strength and promote quality public education for ALL students. There were four new Board members... New faces! New ideas! Fresh start!

Facebook Seth Bramble The Executive Board of the Sacramento City Teacher's Association met today to set goals for the upcoming school year that will build our local strength and promote quality public education for ALL students. There were four new Board members... New faces! New ideas! Fresh start!:

"Seth Bramble The Executive Board of the Sacramento City Teacher's Association met today to set goals for the upcoming school year that will build our local strength and promote quality public education for ALL students. There were four new Board members... New faces! New ideas! Fresh start!"

Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education Speaks Out

Our new superintendent, plus the County Superintendent Dave Gordon, and Elk Grove Superintendent Steve Ladd were all at this press conference which took place at a school that isn't part of SCUSD. I was shocked when SCUSD Superintendent Raymond said that he was excited to be part of Mayor Johnson's team. When you use the link you need to click on part three. That is the part that contains SCUSD Superintendent Raymond's statement.

If you think it is noteworthy, please forward to as many parents and teachers as you know. It is important to tell our new superintendent that he works for SCUSD not for Kevin Johnson. Have SCUSD parents and students who attend our schools told him that he should join with Kevin Johnson 2 days after he starts working for us? That wasn't the message at CK McClatchy from parents, students, and teachers. We need to let Superintendent Raymond know that KJ barely won Oak Park when he was elected and did not do well in the other parts of SCUSD. He won Natomas and the areas not part of SCUSD. Supt. Raymond needs to focus on the opening of district schools, the transition process for the students from closed schools, and on making sure that our students have teachers in the classrooms on the first day of school. We should also let our Board of Education know that we don't want our Superintendent attending Kevin Johnson press conferences or events. We want him learning about our district from the ground up.

How will he be able to fairly evaluate Sacramento Charter High School when he is already a part of the Mayor's team?

Heidi McLean, chairperson
Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

Click here to view video: http://tinyurl.com/noro72

UC Davis News & Information :: $32.6 Million in Stimulus Funds Awarded to UC Davis for Research, More to Come

UC Davis News & Information :: $32.6 Million in Stimulus Funds Awarded to UC Davis for Research, More to Come:

"According to information available online from two federal agencies that administer research funding, as of Aug. 24, UC Davis faculty have garnered 88 research grants totaling nearly $32.6 million.

“At a time when we are very hard-pressed, this stimulus funding will allow us to build up an infrastructure that will serve us well for many years,” said Barry Klein, vice chancellor for research at UC Davis. “And that is precisely the purpose of these awards: to get things under way quickly that will have a long-term positive impact on the stability of the workforce on campus.”

Klein said he expects to see many more stimulus-funded grants flowing to the campus over the coming months. “We have about a half billion dollars of proposals submitted, while only a fraction of stimulus funds have been awarded so far,” he said."

Advice for Duncan: 'Race to the Top' Needs A Larger Dose of Early Ed | New America Blogs

Advice for Duncan: 'Race to the Top' Needs A Larger Dose of Early Ed New America Blogs:

"Advice for Duncan: 'Race to the Top' Needs A Larger Dose of Early Ed
Lisa Guernsey -
August 27, 2009 - 11:18am

Tomorrow is the deadline to submit comments on the Department of Education's proposed guidelines for Race to the Top, the new grant program created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Secretary Duncan released draft guidelines for RTT last month, and with more than 650 comments submitted so far, he is getting plenty of feedback on his vision.

Race to the Top gives the Secretary unprecedented discretion to dole out $4.3 billion in grants to states over the next year. But the money doesn't come free. States have to be looking pretty good in Duncan's eyes even before they apply for the money. What's more, if they want their applications to have any shot of being competitive, they will have to show that they are already making progress on many fronts, including working toward common standards, allowing for the creation of more charter schools and using longitudinal data systems to track students' performance.

The stipulations and criteria have caused a lot of consternation among state education leaders over the past few weeks, partly because the guidelines for participating are so tightly defined. In an analysis conducted by The National Teachers Project, only two states appear to meet each one of the Department of Education's expectations. Five states -- California, Michigan, Nevada, New York and Pennsylvania -- do not even meet the basic eligibility requirements, according to TNTP."

Teacher Beat: Sen. Kennedy and the Teachers

Teacher Beat: Sen. Kennedy and the Teachers:

"Given all that, it's interesting to reflect that NCLB probably would not have passed, at least not as we know it now, without Ted Kennedy. As a number of obituaries have pointed out this week, President George W. Bush reached out to Kennedy in 2001 to help get the law through the Senate.

(It's worth pointing out, too, that a lot of the bill's tougher provisions actually came from the Democrats, not the Republicans. Rep. George Miller, for instance, pushed to require a school to make 'adequate yearly progress' for all the different subgroups, in addition to the school as a whole; Bush's original proposal would have required the disaggregated reporting, but only held schools accountable for subgroups of disadvantaged students.)"

Education roundup: Race to the top hearing, SAT scores, new BC ... - Bakersfield.com

Education roundup: Race to the top hearing, SAT scores, new BC ... - Bakersfield.com:


"Teachers are concerned they could be unfairly evaluated or lose tenure in a new system.
State schools chief Jack O'Connell favors the application, and called for 'uncomfortable' conversions from all interested parties to put student needs first.
The California Teachers Association said it didn't want legislators to make a 'knee-jerk' reaction, and asked they not make changes without 'input from educators and parents.'"

PVUSD faces money trouble, labor unrest - Santa Cruz Sentinel

PVUSD faces money trouble, labor unrest - Santa Cruz Sentinel:

"'We're asking management, administration and principals to start taking the lead, to take pay cuts first,' said Bobbie Salazar, president of California School Employees Association, chapter 132.

Teachers didn't oppose a contract with San Jose-based Keenan and Associates for insurance consulting services, but they found a provision that called for binding arbitration to resolve disputes as well as a pay increase galling. Binding arbitration is a sticking point in the current labor impasse between teachers and district management. Jack Carroll, chief negotiator for the teachers union, said teachers aren't even looking for a raise. 'Do you folks have a plan, a plan to end the labor unrest that is brewing?' he asked."

Draft guidelines for school improvement grants released

Draft guidelines for school improvement grants released - JSOnline

Duncan's proposed guidelines call for states to identify their bottom 5% of Title 1 schools in terms of school improvement status and implement one of four comprehensive reform models:

• Turnaround: Replace the principal and at least 50% of the staff; adopt new or revised instructional strategies; consider a longer school day or year; implement more social services; and get and keep highly qualified teachers.

• Restart: Close the school and reopen it under the management of a charter school or education management organization. The school must admit all former students who wish to attend the reopened school.

• Closure: Close the school and transfer the students to higher-performing schools in the district.

• Transformation: Implement a comprehensive transformation strategy that replaces the school leadership, rewards teacher and leader effectiveness, extends learning time and offers community-oriented services, and provides operating flexibility and other support.

But identifying the bottom 5% of Title 1 schools in a state can be harder than it sounds.

For schools, use of stimulus money falls short of big hopes | csmonitor.com

For schools, use of stimulus money falls short of big hopes csmonitor.com:

"The announcement earlier this year that roughly $100 billion in federal stimulus funds would flow to public schools came with great expectations – both for saving jobs and for fostering reforms in education. But the way the money is being used so far is decidedly more mundane.

In a new survey of 160 school-district leaders, 53 percent say they have not been able to use the money to save teaching positions in core subject areas or special education. And 67 percent say the opportunity to direct the money to reforms has been limited or nil."

When asked how they are using or plan to use ARRA Title I monies, the top five responses were:
professional development (63 percent)
saving existing personnel positions (58 percent)
classroom technology (53 percent)
classroom equipment/supplies (38 percent)
software (35 percent)

The top five reported uses for ARRA IDEA dollars are identical:
professional development (68 percent)
saving existing personnel positions (61 percent)
classroom technology (54 percent)
classroom equipment/supplies (41 percent)
software (37 percent)

The ARRA State Fiscal Stabilization dollars are being invested in the same areas as Title I and IDEA dollars, though at much smaller rates, as districts report a greater variety of uses for the SFSF funds.